Directions Newsletter

Toronto – January 29, 2013 – More than 100 high school students from across the Toronto area recently joined with members of The Student School to celebrate the launch of the first-ever Students Against Migrant Exploitation (S.A.M.E) high-school chapter. The Student School is a Toronto alternative high school founded on social justice and participatory democracy principles.

The event itself was organized, promoted and hosted by a group of highly motivated and socially conscious youth from the Student School. The crowd, packed in to a downtown cafe, enjoyed the appropriately named “Get down While You Stand Up” event which featured presentations by a number of social activists, as well as musical performers.

Guest speakers touched on issues such as Idle No More, the Quebec Students Movement, Austerity, as well as Migrant Worker issues. The energy in the room was electric, which did not surprise Andre Lopez, one of the event's organizers. “The tremendous turnout proves that the idea young people are not interested in politics is a misconception," said the grade-twelve student, whose enthusiasm for activism was echoed by fellow students throughout the evening's presentations.

One of the presenters was UFCW Canada national representative and S.A.M.E. coordinator Pablo Godoy, who welcomed The Student School as the newest chapter in the S.A.M.E. family, and thanked them for their solidarity. "The power of seeing a group of over 100 high-school students not only participate and attend, but also commit to taking a hands-on approach in dealing with the community issues is truly inspiring, and what makes real change possible”.